“…Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”

Walking With God

October 22, 2006

10.21.06 // Walking with God // Onondaga Activity Building and Road to North Dock during Solitude Session #1 @ Prayer and Fasting Retreat

One of my favorite spots at Camp Ladore is the back porch of the Ai-Yuk-Pa…oops, Onondaga Activity Building. It was on that spot that God showed me John 12:24, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But, its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives.” It was there that He reminded me that the dreams I had which had died were, in reality, planted. Like leaves that fall from the tree in autumn and winter nourish the grass so that it may be green and lush when spring come, my dreams had to fall so that the dreams God had for me could flourish. So, naturally, I gravitated to this spot. I sat down, wrapped my blanket around me, leaned again the railing and…..waited. And, I waited some more. I wonder where god was. Why wasn’t he speaking to me?

Finally, God said to me, “Are you ready to listen?”

“Listen? That’s what I’ve been doing sitting here!” I answered.

God replied, “I know what I did for you on this spot, but I’ve brought you so much farther since then.”

“OK, God, where do you want me to go? What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to go for a walk with Me.”

“OK, I’ll go.” Even as I said this, I knew already where I wanted to go – the Dam. God, however, had a another plan in mind. I stopped at the cabin, grabbed my CD player and blanket, left my sweater and outer shirt on the bed, and headed up the road towards the Dam. I had my heart set on the Dam because, during the last Corps Retreat, I had tried to make it there but turned around before I got there because of the wind. I picked up a walking stick along the road (another tradition of mine) and headed down the road.

I passed the Amphitheater, pausing to look at the cross. I continued along, passing the two burnt-out trees that had been struck by lightning. This was as far as I had made it last time. I pressed on until I reached the fork in the road. Not sure which way to go, I asked God, “Left? Or right?” He told me “Right,” so to the right I went. Turns out, that fork leads to the North Dock, not the Dam. Oops. But, this was where God wanted me to end up. The song on my CD player was “Only One (Holy One)” by Caedmon’s Call. “There’s only One who never fails to beckon the morning light,” echoed in my mind as I looked out over the lake. The next moment, God directed my attention to the right of the dock, where there were laying 2 canoes. Now, a week ago, I had some time with God where He gave me a vision of canoeing with Him.

I don’t know exactly why God gave me the canoeing vision the week before. I humbly wait on Him for that answer. Perhaps He gave me that vision so that, where He took me on my walk with him made sense?